Stephen Williams MP calls for rethink on abolition of Post Office Card Account
October 13, 2006 1:58 PM
Commenting on new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats that show 4320 people in Bristol West still use the post office card account to receive their pensions or benefits Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams said:
"It is astonishing that the Government seems intent on destroying a service which is of such great value to so many people across the local community and the country as a whole. The post office card account offers an accessible and affordable way for thousands of people in my constituency to receive their benefits, yet the Government is proposing to axe it.
"Without the vital revenue stream from the post office card account, the Government is further undermining the long term viability of the post office network meaning that even more than the 3,500 post offices already closed by Labour will be put out of business."
Commenting further on an Age Concern Report published earlier this month Stephen Williams MP said:
"The Government must pay far greater heed to the effects the closure of post offices have on a community - nearly 8 out of 10 people feel that the closure of their local post office would present a loss of essential local services.
"This is yet another example of an over centralised Government entirely out of touch with local communities."
The Age Concern report findings on Post Offices can be found at www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern
Of the 4320 people in Bristol West who use the Post Office Card Account, 2690 use it for withdrawing benefits and 1630 use it for the state pension. Use across the rest of Bristol is even greater, with 30,970 using it across the city as a whole.
A full spreadsheet of figures for each constituency is available on request.
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